TECHSPOT
By Skye Jacobs
June 16, 2024
Some are seemingly innocent-looking apps like mileage trackers.
A HOT POTATO: Many were surprised to learn that connected vehicles collect data about drivers and sell that information to insurance companies. As it turns out, so do apps on a driver’s smartphone. Most drivers are unaware that this is even happening.
Earlier this year, the New York Times dropped a bomb on drivers of connected vehicles: manufacturers collect and sell their driving data to insurance companies, which use the information to set rates for individual drivers. Now, a new report shows that this type of data collection is more ubiquitous than even dystopian-minded privacy advocates might have realized.
Information about driving habits is also being collected by apps that are only tangentially related to automobiles. You may already have one installed on your phone.
Examples include Life360, MyRadar, and GasBuddy. They all have opt-in driving analysis features that rely on sensor and motion data from the phone. The apps also offer insights into things like safety and fuel usage. Many of these apps partner with a company called Arity, a data broker founded by Allstate.
Arity uses the data it collects to…